Letters From England, 1846-1849

Part 1

Transcribed from the 1904 Smith, Elder and Co. edition by Jane Duff and proofed by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

LETTERS FROM ENGLAND

1846–1849

BY ELIZABETH DAVIS BANCROFT (MRS. GEORGE BANCROFT)

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WITH PORTRAITS AND VIEWS

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SMITH, ELDER & CO. LONDON : : : : : : : 1904

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Copyright, 1903, by Charles Scribner’s Sons, for Great Britain and the United States of America.

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Printed by the Trow Directory, Printing and Bookbinding Company New York, U. S. A.

PREFACE

ELIZABETH DAVIS BANCROFT, the writer of these letters, was the youngest child and only daughter of William and Rebecca Morton Davis, and was born at Plymouth, Mass., in October, 1803. She often spoke in later times of what a good preparation for her life abroad were the years she spent at Miss Cushing’s school at Hingham, and of her visits to her uncles, Judge Davis and Mr. I. P. Davis of Boston. In 1825 she married Alexander Bliss, a brilliant young lawyer and a junior partner of Daniel Webster. On his death a few years later, her father having died, her mother and brother formed a household with her and her two sons in Winthrop Place, Boston. As a young girl in Plymouth she became a great friend of the future Mrs. Emerson and later of Mr. Emerson and of Mr. and Mrs. Ripley, and through them was much interested in Brook Farm.

In 1838 she married George Bancroft, the historian and statesman, who was then Collector of the Port of Boston and a widower with three children. They continued to live in Winthrop Place till 1845, when for one year Mr. Bancroft was Secretary of the Navy in Polk’s cabinet. While he was in that position the Naval Academy at Annapolis was established; and he played an important part in the earlier stages of the Mexican War. In the fall of 1846 he became Minister to England. It was then that the letters were written from which these extracts have been taken. A number of passages not of general interest have been omitted, without any indications of such omission in the text, but in no case has any change in a sentence been made. Most of the letters are in the form of a diary and were addressed to immediate relatives, and none of them were written for publication; but owing to the standing of Mr. Bancroft as a man of letters, as well as his official station, the writer saw London life under an unusual variety of interesting aspects.

In 1849 Mr. and Mrs. Bancroft returned to this country, and Mr. Bancroft occupied himself with his history until 1868, when he was for seven years Minister to Prussia and the German Empire. At the expiration of that time they took up their residence in Washington, where they lived during the remainder of their lives.

PORTRAITS AND VIEWS

Elizabeth Davis Bancroft Frontispiece

Probably taken at Brady’s National Gallery, New York, sometime after her return from England; from a picture owned by Elizabeth B. Bliss. Aston Hall (Bracebridge Hall) 8 Henry Edward, fourth Lord Holland 14

From the portrait by C. R. Leslie, R. A., at Holland House, by permission of the Earl of Ilchester. Augusta, Lady Holland 20

From the portrait by G. F. Watts, R. A., at Holland House, by permission of the Earl of Ilchester. Holland House 26 George Bancroft 34

From the painting by C. C. Ingham in the possession of William J. A. Bliss. Elizabeth Davis Bancroft 40

From the painting by C. C. Ingham in the possession of William J. A. Bliss. The Duke of Wellington 70

From the portrait by Count Alfred D’Orsay; photograph copyright by Walker & Cockerell, London. Sir Stratford Canning 74

From the drawing by Richmond, make about 1848, by permission of the Hon. Louisa Canning. Lord Ashburton 84

After Sir T. Lawrence, R. A. Miss Berry, at the Age of 86 88

From a crayon drawing by J. R. Swinton (1850); from a picture owned by Elizabeth B. Bliss. A. W. Kinglake (“Eothen”) 90

From a photograph. Samuel Rogers 98

Part 2

From the drawing by G. Richmond (1848); photograph copyright by Walker & Cockerell, London. Lady Byron 106

From the portrait in the possession of Sir J. Tollemache Sinclair, Bart. George Hudson, the “Railway King” 114

From the engraving after F. Grant. Lord Palmerston 130

From the portrait by Partridge; photograph copyright by Walker & Cockerell, London. Lady Palmerston 136

From a painting, by permission of Sir Francis Gore. Mrs. Dawson Damer 154

From the miniature by Isabey, by permission of Lady Constance Leslie. Mrs. Fitzherbert 160

From the pastel by J. Russell. Richard Monckton Miles (Lord Houghton) 170

From a drawing by Cousins, by permission of the Hon. Mrs. Arthur Henniker. Lord George Bentinck 190

From a painting by Lane, by permission of the Duke of Portland. Sir Robert Peel 194

From the mezzotint after Sir T. Lawrence, R. A. Lady Peel 198

After Sir T. Lawrence, R. A.; photograph copyright by W. Mansell & Co., London. George Bancroft 210

Probably taken at Brady’s National Gallery, New York, sometime after his return from England; from a picture owned by Elizabeth B. Bliss.

Letters from England

To W. D. B. and A. B.

LIVERPOOL, October 26, 1846.

MY DEAR SONS: Thank God with me that we are once more on terra firma. We arrived yesterday morning at ten o’clock, after a very rough voyage and after riding all night in the Channel in a tremendous gale, so bad that no pilot could reach us to bring us in on Saturday evening. A record of a sea voyage will be only interesting to you who love me, but I must give it to you that you may know what to expect if you ever undertake it; but first, I must sum it all up by saying that of all horrors, of all physical miseries, tortures, and distresses, a sea voyage is the greatest . . . The Liverpool paper this morning, after announcing our arrival says: “The Great Western, notwithstanding she encountered throughout a series of most severe gales, accomplished the passage in sixteen days and twelve hours.”

To begin at the moment I left New York: I was so absorbed by the pain of parting from you that I was in a state of complete apathy with regard to all about me. I did not sentimentalize about “the receding shores of my country;” I hardly looked at them, indeed. Friday I was awoke in the middle of the night by the roaring of the wind and sea and such motion of the vessel.

The gale lasted all Saturday and Sunday, strong from the North, and as we were in the region where the waters of the Bay of Fundy run out and meet those of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, afterwards we had a strong cross sea. May you never experience a “cross sea.” . . . Oh how I wished it had pleased God to plant some little islands as resting-places in the great waste of waters, some resting station. But no, we must keep on, on, with everything in motion that your eye could rest on. Everything tumbling about . . . We lived through it, however, and the sun of Sunday morn rose clear and bright. A pilot got on board about seven and at ten we were in Liverpool.

We are at the Adelphi. Before I had taken off my bonnet Mr. Richard Rathbone, one of the wealthiest merchants here, called to invite us to dine the next day . . . Mrs. Richard Rathbone has written that beautiful “Diary of Lady Willoughby,” and, what is more, they say it is a perfect reflect of her own lovely life and character. When she published the book no one knew of it but her husband, not even her brothers and sisters, and, of course, she constantly heard speculations as to the authenticity of the book, and was often appealed to for her opinion. She is very unpretending and sweet in her manners; talks little, and seems not at all like a literary lady.

I like these people in Liverpool. They seem to me to think less of fashion and more of substantial excellence than our wealthy people. I am not sure but the existence of a higher class above them has a favorable effect, by limiting them in some ways. There is much less show of furniture in the houses than with us, though their servants and equipages are in much better keeping. I am not sorry to be detained here for a few days by my illness to become acquainted with them, and I think your father likes it also, and will find it useful to him. Let me say, while I think of it, how much I was pleased with the Great Western. That upper saloon with the air passing through it was a great comfort to me. The captain, the servants, the table, are all excellent. Everything on board was as nice as in the best hotel, and my gruels and broths beautifully made. One of the stewardesses did more for me than I ever had done by any servant of my own . . . Your father and Louisa {7} were ill but three or four days, and then your father read Tacitus and talked to the ladies, while Louisa played with the other children.

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